Gallery

> A Port Gdansk Postal card "Used" in the General Gouvernment.

The situation lasted until October when General Gouvernement postal cards made their appearance.

Remaining stocks of Polish postal cards of types that had never been overprinted and released to the public began to be utilized by the Versandstelle Für Sammlermarken (Dispatch Office for Collecting Stamps), located at No. 15 Post Street in Krakau (Figure 3). Five cards with imprinted Polish stamps were employed, and they were the 30 Groszy (Gr.) in salmon, featuring President Moscicki; the 15 Gr. in brown, picturing Wladislaw Jagiello; the 10 Gr. in grey, with the Polish eagle; and the 30 Gr. in rose red, showing Stephen Bathory. As to the latter, both the single card and the double card with the reply portion, cut and used, were placed into service. The card at Figure 1 was the only Port Gdañsk postal card employed in this fashion. All cards mailed will bear the postmark Krakau 3, which was a post office sending only philatelic and official dispatches. I’ve seen these official cards posted with dates ranging from 1942 until 1944.

The purpose of these cards was to supply information about the stamps of the General Gouvernernent to new issue customers in the German Reich. On the reverse sides of the cards, various messages were printed, giving information about.the stamps and special postmarks available, with their prices. Printing (and typing) on the reverse side of our Port Gdansk card (Figure 2) shows: With regard to conditions relating to the receipt of new issues of the General Gouvemement, they will be sent only three times per year. The Copemikus stamps will be sent next dispatch. Next sending: November.


As you can read, postal authorities at this facility did their utmost to look after the needs of their philatelic patrons. There are many different printed messages on the reverse side of these official cards. I would be interested in seeing examples of other messages applied to the reverse of Port Gdansk cards, as well as in knowing whether they were used in 1942 or 1944.

Danzig Report  Nr. 89 - Oct - Nov - Dec - 1995, Page 7.